Ephesians 2, verses 8 and following: “by grace have you been saved through faith, that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.”
What is this thing we call “grace”? From a negative point of view, it is not a license to sin, Romans 6:1. God has never given man a license to sin, because sin “separates” us from Him, Isaiah 59:1-2. And grace is not freedom from responsibility. As we mentioned in our Adult Bible Class this morning, Ephesians 2:8 through 10,“by grace” we are “saved through faith,” that not of ourselves, and, that “we are His workmanship.”In Luke 13:24, to enhance the responsibility, the Lord said to “strive to enter in at the strait gate.” That word “strive” is the same that is used when Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane and in such agony, as mentioned in Luke 23. And it’s the same used in 1 Timothy 6:12. In fact, Paul was playing on words. He said to “fight the good fight.” Actually, he was saying “agonize the agony”—the same word. “I have fought a good fight”—I have “agonized the agony.” So grace isn’t a freedom from responsibility and it doesn’t promote carelessness. Hebrews 2:1, “we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard.” And it doesn’t discredit God’s justice, according to Job 40, verse 8. It doesn’t repeal the judgment day, even though “by grace we are saved through faith, that not of yourselves.” “It is appointed to man once to die, and after that the judgment,” Hebrews 9:27. And grace does not declare a moratorium on punishment of sin. It is still “the wages of sin is death,” Romans 6:23. And it is not an amnesty. An amnesty is an intentional overlooking, and God cannot, and will not, intentionally overlook sin. In Habakkuk 1:13, the Bible said He is of too “purer eyes than to behold evil.” Nahum 1:3, He “will not at all acquit the wicked.” And furthermore, grace does not do away with the need for obedience. The Lord willing, tomorrow night [April 29] we are going to talk about obedience, and “why obedience, if by grace we are saved through faith?” [Since By Grace, Why Obedience?]
Well, what is this thing we call grace? We mentioned this morning, by way of introduction, that it is something that cannot be earned, cannot be deserved, and cannot be repaid. Let’s say, for instance, at the conception of a baby God, by grace, gave life. But when a baby is born, he has to inhale and exhale, and eat and exercise. But inhaling and exhaling doesn’t earn the life that God, by grace, gave. The baby doesn’t deserve the life that God, by grace, gave. The baby doesn’t repay the life that God, by grace, gave. But if a child doesn’t do all of these things, he can’t live. Doing these things is simply accepting the grace that God gave on the conditions that He gave it.
Let’s say that a farmer takes his seed. It’s by grace that God put life in that seed. There isn’t anything that farmer could ever do to earn that life, to deserve that life, or to repay that life which God, by grace, gave when He put life in that seed. But if the farmer doesn’t put that seed in the earth and cultivate it, he’s not going to have a crop. There is a certain amount of expense, a certain amount of labor, a certain amount of risk, but none of those in any way earns, deserves, or repays the life that God put in that seed at the beginning.
Well, what about salvation? The Bible said, “by grace have you been saved through faith,” and yet, “without faith, it is impossible to please Him,” Hebrews 11:6.But as great as faith is—as urgent as it is—it doesn’t earn, deserve, or repay salvation. In fact, it is by that faith that we come into that grace,according to Romans 5, verses 1 and 2.
When the Bible said, “except you repent, you will perish,” Luke 13:3 and Luke 13:5, does repentance earn anything? No—we shouldn’t have sinned in the first place! Does it deserve anything? No! The Bible said, “when you have done all” that is “commanded,” still say, “We are unprofitable servants. We have done that which was our duty to do,” [Luke 17:10].
What about confessing the Name of Jesus? If we do, He’ll confess us. If we don’t, He won’t confess us, Matthew 10:32-33. That confession doesn’t earn anything. It doesn’t deserve anything. It doesn’t repay anything.
What about baptism? Why is it that some people think that those who contend that we should be baptized for the remission of sins are earning salvation? There isn’t any way we can earn it, or that we are deserving or repaying. You can’t! And yet He said, “except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom,” John 3:3. Two verses later, “except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom.” And then He said, “Marvel not that I said unto you, you must be born again,” John 3, verses 7 and 8. And on Pentecost, the people were told to “repent, and be baptized, for the remission of sins,” Acts 2:38. That means the same that it means in Matthew 26, verses 28 to 30, where the Bible said that Christ’s blood “was shed for the remission of sins.” Whatever the word “for” means in one passage, it means in the other. If it means “because of” the forgiveness of sins” in Acts 2, then it must mean the same over in Matthew 26. Was His blood shed “because of”?—oh NO, but His blood was shed in order that sins might be remitted.
Aren’t you glad the Bible wasn’t written in the English language? We’d be in a mess, wouldn’t we? You see, in English we have words that mean just the opposite. For instance, we say, “A man was put in jail for stealing.” Was he put in jail in order to steal? No—he was put in jail because he did steal. And then we say, “He went to town for a loaf of bread.” Did he go to town because he already had the bread? No—but in order to get it. So you have a word that means two different things. But you see, the Bible wasn’t written like that. In the language in which it was written—probably the most expressive of all languages (and no doubt that’s the reason the Lord gave it in that language)—there is the word that means “for, because of,” and there is the word that means “in order to.” The word that means “in order to” is the word found in Acts 2:38.
Even though baptism is for [in order to obtain] the remission of sins, and even though when we’re baptized sins are “washed away,” Acts 22:16, and the Bible says it “saves us,” 1 Peter 3:21, baptism doesn’t earn anything, it doesn’t deserve anything, and it doesn’t repay anything. We shouldn’t have sinned in the first place! But we did. We’ll talk more about that tonight, the Lord willing, when we talk about “Since By Grace, Why Aren’t All Saved?”
So grace, then, is something that can’t be earned, can’t be deserved, and can’t be repaid. And, in the case of life, even though when the baby is born he has to do all those things, he’s not earning it, he’s just simply accepting it on the conditions that it was given. And the farmer, when he puts that seed in the earth, he’s not earning the life, he’s not deserving it, and he’s not repaying it. He’s simply accepting that which, by grace, God gave, you see.
Well, the Bible said that Jesus, by grace, “tasted death” for every man, Hebrews 2:9. That doesn’t mean there is nothing for us to do. There is a part that we should play. When we talk about obedience, God has always required obedience. From the very beginning, in the Garden of Eden, had man not disobeyed, we wouldn’t be in the situation we’re in now.
So grace, then, must be understood by what it is. God’s part is that He provided what we couldn’t possibly provide for ourselves. In Romans 3, verses 23 to 26, the Bible said, “that He might be just and the justifier” of him who had sinned. If it weren’t for God’s justice, grace would be superficial. Keep that in mind! If it weren’t for God’s justice, there wouldn’t be any such thing as grace. It would be meaningless! You see, God must be just—He “cannot deny Himself,” 2 Timothy 2:13. He can’t be out of character with Himself. He can’t be less than He’s been, or greater than He’s been, because whatever He is, He is to perfection. His perfect holiness requires that He can’t consider sin lightly. That’s by His very nature.
His perfect justice means that He can’t forgive sins without an atonement. So an atonement must be made, but man couldn’t possibly make that atonement. You see, there isn’t anything that we could ever do or be that we don’t already owe to God. We could never put God in our debt. We could never make God give us something because He had to do it. No! We can’t deserve a sunset; we can’t deserve a breath; we can’t deserve the beauty of the Grand Canyon, because we could never make God obligated to us. We are always obligated to God.
So when the Lord said, “by grace have you been saved through faith,” faith, then, accepts that which God, by grace, gave to us, and faith is very important. In fact, “this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith,” 1 John 5:4. Or consider Ephesians 6:16, which says that faith is the “shield” that “quenches all the fiery darts of the evil one.”
So with this understanding of what grace really is, I want you to think seriously that no man could possibly take care of the sins that he’s committed. And yet we’ve “all sinned,” Romans 3:23. “There is none righteous, no, not one,” Romans 3:10. And, “if we say that we have not sinned,” we’re wrong, 1 John 1, verses 8 to 10. So that being the case [So that being true], we’re all guilty. And, sin “separates” man from God, Isaiah 59, verses 1 and 2.
So then, why is there anything else, if by grace we are saved? Well, because God won’t save a man against his will. He won’t barge in! Man must accept. On the Day of Pentecost, who were baptized? “Those who gladly received the Word,” [Acts 2:41]. What about those who didn’t “gladly receive” it. They weren’t baptized, you see! Well, was everybody then [saved]? No, there were some who didn’t accept it. Only those who did receive the Word were the ones whose sins were remitted [remit: to forgive or pardon; to refrain from exacting (a payment), to refrain from inflicting (punishment)]. They were the ones who were given the promise of the Holy Spirit. They were the ones who were pleasing unto the All Mighty. The Lord said, “I stand at the door and knock,” Revelation 3:20. In Matthew 11:28, He said, “you come unto Me.” He didn’t say, “I’ll jump over to you.” He said, “You come to Me,” and “I will in no wise cast out,” [John 6:37]. “Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest,” [Matthew 11:28]. So man must come to the Lord, and that’s very important! Man does have a part to play!
When we think about grace, if man’s part were eliminated completely, we wouldn’t need to build a building like this [building we are gathered in]. We wouldn’t need to have services like this. We wouldn’t even need a Bible. We wouldn’t need anything! But you see, God never does for man what man can do for himself. And from the very beginning, He put responsibility on man. Some people think, “Well, if man had never sinned, we wouldn’t have anything to do.” Yes we would! You see, man was put in the Garden to dress it and to keep it even before he sinned. God made man a being that would be doing something—not just sitting idly—not just standing with nothing to do. Man had a service to perform. Throughout all the years, God has expected man to respond. The Bible said we can receive the grace of God in vain, or we can fall from the grace of God as mentioned in Galatians 5:4.
So, since by grace, why anything else? Well, you see, when we become disciples of His, we’re just starting—we’re not finishing. On one occasion, in John 18:25, Peter was asked a very, very sobering question. In fact, it was an embarrassing question—a stinging question: “Aren’t you also one of His disciples?” Have you ever been where you shouldn’t have been, and you said some things you shouldn’t have said, and you were in a situation you shouldn’t have been in? And somebody with a certain tone of voice and with a certain implication asks: “Aren’t you also one of His disciples?” as if to say, “You don’t act like it!” You mean disciples are to act a certain way? That’s right! You can be religious without being righteous. In Luke 18, verse 9 to 14, the Pharisee was very religious and he wanted everybody to know that he was religious. But he wasn’t righteous. But the old publican wouldn’t even so much as lift up his eyes to Heaven, which showed guilt if he couldn’t even look God in the eye. What about the story of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10, verses 25 to 37? The priest?—he seemed religious. The Levite?—he seemed religious. They were religious, but they were not righteous. And here the Samaritan, who wasn’t even supposed to be religious and was not regarded as such, showed more righteousness than the other two combined. You see, we can be religious without being righteous. In James 1:26, “if a man seems to be religious,”— if you saw people partake of the communion awhile ago, and they seem religious—if you see them here tomorrow night or Tuesday night or Wednesday night, they seem religious. But you see, things are not always as they “seem.” They can do all of this and still not be His disciples—they can do these things and still not be righteous.
And then if a man’s religion is just for “show,” it’s questionable, Matthew 6: 1. The Pharisees did certain things to be seen of men, to be heard of men, to be praised of men, and recognized by men. If it’s just for “show,” it’s questionable. But if a man’s religion just doesn’t show, it’s also questionable. Matthew 5:16: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven,” or Philippians [2:14-16], where he talks about our “lights shining” in a dark place. That’s what a light is for.
When he was seven years of age, Robert Louis Stevenson’s mother had an errand to run and she left him with somebody. The person noticed, as the darkness came, that Robert got real quiet. If you know anything about little boys, you know that if he gets real quiet, it’s not a bad idea to check on him. So she went in and said, “What are you doing?” He said, as he pulled back the curtain, and watched the lamplighter go down the street lighting lamp after lamp, “I’m watching that man make holes in the darkness.”
Isn’t that what Christians are—people “making holes in the darkness”? The world is pretty dark today. When the world is at its darkest, we ought to be at our brightest! When the world is at its worst, we ought to be at our best!
So Christians, then, make a difference in the world. “Aren’t you also one of His disciples?” Who knows? Well, God does, 2 Timothy 2:19. But do you? It’s possible to be deceived. If a man thinks himself to be religious when he isn’t, “he deceives himself,” Galatians 6:3. Matthew 7:21 to 23 shows how surprised some people will be at the judgment—thinking all is well, but in reality, it isn’t!
And it’s also possible to be mistaken. Some “have a form of godliness,” but they are “denied the power thereof,” 2 Timothy 3:5. Or, “some say and do not,” Matthew 23:3. Some have a “name” that they live, but they “are dead,” Revelation 3:1. Or, Jesus said they “honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me,” Matthew 15, verse 8 and 9.
So, when that question was asked [“Aren’t you also one of His disciples?”], the question was not out of place, but the one who was asked the question [Peter] was out of place. Peter was out of place. But I want you to notice in John 18, verse 18 that these servants and the officers of the enemy—the people trying to put Jesus to death—had made a fire. The Bible said they were standing around it “warming themselves. And Peter stood with them and warmed himself.” But a few days later on Pentecost, it’s a different story and a different Simon Peter. The Bible said, “Peter stood up with the eleven,” [Acts 2:14]. He was standing with the enemy a few days before, but now he’s “standing with the eleven”—with the Lord’s people. He had made a big change. But when that question was asked—“Aren’t you also one of His disciples?”—don’t you know that made Peter think? Don’t you know that really pierced his soul?
Well, people have a right to ask that question all along. You see, words don’t prove discipleship—but deeds do! Words don’t prove love—but deeds do! Words don’t prove allegiance—but deeds do! Words don’t prove faith—but deeds do! Words don’t prove much of anything—but deeds do! This is born out [shown; proved] in 1 John 3:17 and 18 [“But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in Truth.”.
So, “Aren’t YOU also one of His disciples?” Does your life really show that you are? What do you have to show for the religion that you claim? Is it a righteousness, or is it just a religion? That’s a good question!
Old Ahab was one of the most wicked men that ever sat upon a throne, and his wife, Jezebel, was one of the most wicked women! They just seemed like demons themselves! But even though she was so wicked, and the Bible said she “stirred up” Ahab to do wickedness, she asked a very timely question in 1 Kings 21:7. You see, Ahab wanted Naboth’s vineyard, and Naboth, because of sentimental reasons, didn’t want to give him that vineyard. Well, Ahab sat over here and started pouting. Pouting—did you ever see anybody do that or heard of anyone doing that? Here’s what Jezebel asked him—this is a good question: “Is this how you act as King of Israel?”
Is this how YOU act as one of God’s people? Is this how you act as a Christian? You’ve told a dirty joke—is that how you act? You’ve told something that wasn’t true—is that how you act? You weren’t really above-board [honest] in business—is this how you act as one of His disciples? No—words don’t prove it, but deeds do! And in deeds and in Truth, let’s prove to the world that we are His disciples.
Now it all starts by the grace of God, because if it weren’t for His grace, we couldn’t even be disciples. But He’s made it possible! “And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch,” Acts 11:26. And a Christian is one who is “Christ-ian,” or “Christ-like,” that is, we “follow the steps” of Christ, 1 Peter 2:21. We have “the mind” of Christ, Philippians 2:5. We are “yoked” with Him, Matthew 11:29. And, we’re “crucified” with Him, Galatians 2:20; “dead” with Him, Colossians 2:20; “buried with Him,” Romans 6:4; “raised” with Him, Colossians 3:1; “quickened together” with Him; Ephesians 2:5; and our lives are “hidden” together “with Him in God,” [Colossians 3:3]. So, it’s a losing of our own identity. Our lives and Christ’s become interwoven. That’s what it means to be a disciple.
So even though we are saved by the grace of God, there is something on our part. Our part doesn’t earn it—our part doesn’t deserve it—our part doesn’t repay it, and couldn’t! But regardless of what we do, even if we live a sinless life from now on, what about the sins we’ve already committed? How are they going to be taken care of? How could a just God—Who cannot deny Himself, Who cannot be out of character with Himself, Who cannot go against Himself—how could He deal with sin? Sin is anti-God—it’s going the opposite direction from God. How could He deal with sin unless something had been provided that man couldn’t possibly provide for himself? That gets us to tonight’s lesson [Since By Grace, Why Aren’t All Saved?], the Lord willing.
“By grace have you been saved through faith, that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.” But we’re, “created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God has before prepared that we should walk in them.” Are you walking in those good works? Are you really productive? Are you helping people to become children of His? And remember, saving souls is not optional—it’s obligatory!
If there is one thing lacking today among our people, it is that we are not converting people like we did. We’re not really bringing people to Christ. That’s upper most—that’s primary! That’s what it’s all about! Everything Jesus ever did, from birth until the end of His life—whether it be speaking, raising the dead, healing the sick, or what have you—was ultimately with the thought of helping men and women go to Heaven when they die! So that means that it doesn’t matter what else you save if you lose your soul, and it doesn’t matter what else you lose, if you save your soul [see Matthew 16:26].
Are you really reflecting the glory of Christ? The Bible said, “they glorified God” in Paul, Galatians 1:24. And in Acts 4, verse 13, when they perceived that Peter and John were “unlearned and ignorant, they marveled; and took knowledge that they had been with Jesus.”It could be seen! If your religion is just for show, it’s questionable, but if it just doesn’t show, it’s also questionable!
Is there anyone in this audience this morning that is subject to the invitation? Do you need to be baptized into Christ, and in so doing, put Him on as though we wear Him?—being baptized into His death, raised with Him, being born again to begin walking a new life. Or is there anyone in this audience who has fallen away? Come back this morning. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if in this initial service, everybody subject to the invitation would come! Wouldn’t that be great! Wouldn’t it be good if we could just cause Heaven to burst into a hallelujah chorus, over one person who comes back home! Today you can cause the angels to so rejoice! We hope you will, one and all, while we stand and while we sing. Will you come?